Logan:

Hugh Jackman says that this is his last time playing the Marvel Comics character that has been his alone in eight movies all told. It is the near future, and we see a very difference Wolverine, a mutant whose powers are waning, who has been hitting the bottle far too much, and who just wants to see it all end. He is the primary caregiver to Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) who is slipping inexorably into dementia, and he stays off the grid, away from those who would see him for what he is. The X-Men have all either died, or have also found themselves aging and incapable of fighting crime and the terrors from beyond, and they are only referred to in this movie, they are not seen. When a woman seems to recognize Logan/Wolverine and begs him for help for her child, he shrugs her off, not wanting to become involved, but soon he seems to have no choice, as the child, named Laura (Dafne Keen) turns out to be a mutant with powers beyond those of Wolverine. And she is not alone. A whole new generations of mutants, all with varying powers, exists in the wilderness, and Laura needs Logan’s help to get to them, and so begins his final journey. I found this the best of all the Wolverine films, and it is interesting to see a new generation of X-People too. Rated 14A.

The Great Wall:

A very odd role for Matt Damon to take on, and one that didn’t do him many favours. The movie struggled at the box office in North America, although as you might guess, it did very well in China. Damon is William, a European mercenary searching China for illicit gunpowder sometime during the Song Dynasty, which began in 960 AD and ended in 1279 AD. He and his partner Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are the sole remaining members of their band, having been attacked by a roving gang of bandits. On the run, they hide in what they believe to be a cave, and awaken the next day in shackles, prisoners of the Chinese Emperor’s army. At this point the film takes an abrupt left turn and becomes something of a sci-fi thriller, as it turns out that the Great Wall had been built to keep out, not other people, but rather hordes of incredibly vicious creatures that attack the human population every sixty years …. And wouldn’t you know it, William and Tovar just hit the timing right, and the monsters are expected momentarily. Good special effects, but some rather hard-to-believe situations follow as the two mercenaries throw in with the Chinese to get the upper hand. Not bad … but a very odd place to find Matt Damon! Rated 14A.

Get Out!:

The title is a piece of advice in this mystery-horror-thriller that is easy to give, but hard to follow for Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya from Sicario). Chris is a young, handsome, African-American man who has a girlfriend who is white, Rose played by Allison Williams (Girls). Rose tells him that it’s time he came to meet the parents, who turn out to be a very wealthy couple with a huge mansion in the country. Chis asks if they know he is Black … and Rose responds, “Why should it matter?” Once at the palatial home, complete with a huge outdoor barbecue and dozens of friends and family members, Chris gets the feeling he is being “inspected,” and he is, it turns out, just the way a buyer might inspect livestock. There are some Black people working on the property, and one advises Chris to “get out!” but it’s too late for that. The horror for Chris, begins right here. A well-made non-slasher horror story that will keep you fully engaged. Rated 14A.

Sand Castle (2017):

The war in Iraq is the setting for this Netflix original as we are introduced to a squad of American soldiers who are tasked with protecting a small village. As is often the case in desert warfare, just who is a villager and who is a jihadist is not clear, and the special forces fighters are not sure what is friendly and what is not. The story is based on the real-life experiences of the writer, Chris Roessner, a sometime actor, and a writer with only one other credit seven years ago. Much of what happens in the movie actually happened to Roessner and his team while fighting in Iraq where he was a US Marine. If there is any exaggeration at all in this story, it's within the area of soft-pedaling some of what is shown, because the actual events and the actual violence is too unbelievable. Rated 14A.

Big Eyes (2014):

A very interesting look at a true story, the life of artist Margaret Keane (Amy Adams) who developed the art style of various characters with very big eyes, a commercial phenomenon in the 1960s. The problem is, although she was the artist, credit for her work was taken by her husband Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) who, because of his own failings as an artist, convinced his wife that it would be "better" if he were to sign the paintings, and not her. As time passed and the pictures became a standard decoration in the homes of the rich, the famous, and the powerful, Walter became more and more abusive and kept the financial windfall to himself. Finally, Margaret made a decision to claim what was her own, and therein lies the drama. Rated 14A

Witch Hunt (1994):

This made-for-TV film has been long-buried, and its theme has suddenly become relevant again with such movies as Fantastic Creatures, and the Harry Potter series being so popular. Set in the 1950s, we have Dennis Hopper as a private eye on a murder case. Only it's not the regular 1950s that we all know and love. In this world, everyone uses magic to do everything ... except for H. Philip Lovecraft, Hopper's character, who refuses to use magic - it's all straight up for him. His client is Kim Hudson (Penelope Anne Miller), and his best source for info is a witch played by Sheryl Lee Ralph. When he consults her on he case, she is mysteriously sentenced to be burned at the stake. Rated 14A.